The Rural Voice, 1988-02, Page 49ADVICE
FARROWING CAN
BE MADE EASIER
So often, we hear pig farmers upset
that the sow that farrowed last night with
a litter size of 11 pigs is jumping up and
down; the little pigs are scouring and to
top it all off the sow is off her feed.
Let's go back about three weeks
before she farrowed. Take a look at her
condition. Is she underweight? When
was she wormed last? What does her
udder underline look like? Is it fleshy,
soft, and full or is it uneven, with some
hardening? Is she constipated?
Now, come back again to the pres-
ent. Are the pigs scouring because of an
E. coli or are they scouring because of a
lack of milk? In other words, is the sow
jumping up and down all the time be-
cause she's sore?
There is one item that you must have
to help determine what the problem is: a
thermometer. It is your cheapest pre-
ventive medicine for a sick farrowing
sow. If she has a temperature of more
than 101 degrees F, then you know that
treatment with antibiotics is necessary
and your veterinarian can instruct you.
If her udder is hard and uneven, you
can offer immediate relief by giving her
udder a sponge bath with hot, soapy
water. Rub her down and it will help the
udder to relax and also help the antibiot-
ics to work. I have yet to see a sow that
hasn't laid down and let her newborns
nurse during a sponge bath.
Is the sow constipated? This will
cause a sow to go off feed, have mastitis,
and feel generally lousy. A good dren-
ching of mineral oil offers the quickest
relief, but this is where you go back to
seven days before farrowing. Add either
bran or Epsom salts if you think consti-
pation is a problem. Some producers
feed straight bran two to three days
before, but we found that our sows re-
fused to eat it..
Another trick we found is to increase
feed amounts in the three weeks before
farrowing with feed that has bran and
Epsom salts added. The increased feed
will mean increased water intake, which
will relieve the constipation. It will also
add weight to the unborn piglets. Third,
the Epsom salts will help to soften the
udder and fill it up with milk.
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Bluevale
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giare foot
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* Weaner Decks
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47
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TATTOO BREED BACKFAT AGE INDEX
1055W YL 10.7 mm 130 143
1057W YL 9.2 mm 154 123
0301W HD 13.3 mm 152 132
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127
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FEBRUARY 1988 47